Car collision leaves woman trapped in vehicle

Donald W. Cooper’s GMC SRA (top) after colliding with Martha L. Treece’s 1989 Volvo Thursday in front of the Country Oasis Gas Station and Convenience Store on U.S. Highway 64.

The jaws of life were used to pry open 69-year-old resident of Selmer Martha L. Treece’s 1989 Volvo so she could be airlifted to the Regional Medical Center in Memphis (MED) for treatment after Treece and Donald W. Cooper, 59, of Adamsville, collided in the westbound lane on US Highway 64 going towards Selmer Thursday afternoon.

Emergency Medical Squads from Adamsville and Selmer worked together at the scene using the jaws of life to extract a trapped Treece from her vehicle before transferring her to Selmer so she could be flown to Memphis.

Around 3:30 p.m. Cooper, who was traveling towards Adamsville on US Highway 64, allegedly failed to yield before making a left turn toward the Country Oasis parking lot in his GMC SRA.

Cooper apparently collided with the front-left side of Treece’s vehicle, who was traveling to Selmer in the right hand lane of westbound traffic, according to Tennessee Highway Patrolman Sergeant Barry Siler.

The collision spun Cooper’s vehicle 180 degrees and left it facing the turning lane he had just pulled out of, according to the report, and Cooper himself suffered no injuries.

Treece, on the other hand, was rushed to the MED and remains there in fair condition, according to reports from the medical center’s public relations department on Monday.

Sgt. Siler’s report said the force of the impact between the vehicles sent Treece’s vehicle sliding into a grassy ditch next to the County Oasis’ parking lot where she was eventually removed from the vehicle.

“I waited for a semi-truck to pass and I just went,” said Cooper at the scene of the accident. “I never saw her.”

Many at the scene of the accident witnessed Treece’s vehicle skidding across the asphalt, but none actually witnessed the impact of the accident.

“I heard a boom and I looked up and saw the car spinning,” said Tiffiny Jackson who was in the parking lot at the time of the accident. “I asked if she (Treece) needed any help and the owner of the store was already on the phone with 911.”

Phillip Beene witnessed Treece’s vehicle sliding after the impact and said that it slid at least 30 feet before he approached the vehicle to aid the trapped driver.

“I went to see if she was alright and the woman (Treece) just kept saying ‘I was on my way’ over and over,” said Beene. “She appeared to be in shock.”

Sgt. Siler’s report said that Cooper was cited for failing to yield before he attempted to cross westbound traffic on US Highwas 64.